Show me a school where the power, freedom, and time to learn are in the hands and hearts of the learners--learners being both the kids and the adults--and I'll show you a curious, caring learning community; a thriving school culture!
Bottom line: Until EDUCATORS EXPERIENCE leading their own professional learning, they will have a hard time ceding traditional control of learning to the STUDENTS.
A building of Shiny Happy Teachers, learners on fire, is what every school needs!!

Teachers that get a Twitter account during an Edcamp or other PD session are excited. They see other veteran tweeters sharing twitter stories and tips with them as +Barb Gilman, +Anibal Pacheco and I did at #edcampKS and +Sean Nash and +Jamie Neibling and I did at Summer Academy for North Kansas City Schools. They want to try it. They want to learn. They want to share. And as anyone who has been to an #edcamp can attest, it is great fun sharing f2f with educators in a relaxed atmosphere, no matter what side of the coin you're on. We're all facilitators and learners.

If the New-to-Twitterers keep at it by following at least 100 educators, clicking the HOME icon and reading the edu-tweets, they will find things they're interested in. They'll find things they want to explore. They'll see social networks and posts they're curious about.

While Twitter is like the playground of education and where you go to keep your pulse on the big show, the other social networks are like the games in progress on the playground. The playground wouldn't be the same if you just walked around and looked at it. You gotta jump in and play different games. You meet new people there and gain new experiences there. Others benefit from your posts.

In my next #edcamp session we'll talk social-learning-networks that educators are curious about. I'll share the ones I use and show what the posts look like on each. We'll talk tips, Q&A, and I'll learn from others about networks they use that I don't...YET, anyway.

If you look up to the top right of my blog you see all the hyperlinked buttons of the main social networks I learn on. Click on these and you can learn with me on any one of those networks if you choose. You can follow educators I follow. Use my 'following' lists as a resource. You can grow your PLN not only wider but deeper.

I started on Twitter. I noticed tweets with Instagram and Flickr pictures. I created accounts on these networks, yet another learning adventure, and followed educators I recognized from Twitter. I found myself learning through pictures, about education and about these wonderful people. How cool to learn through pictures and see with different eyes, see other schools and how they are set up, see other countries, and share my own pictures of nature, birds, edcamps, family fun, and school. I can't imagine my life without the self-expression and sharing I do on Instagram and Flickr.

Foursquare is a social check-in app that allows you to also share pictures of places and of you at those places, perhaps with edufriends. I actually know very few local friends on Foursquare (that are my age anyway) but there certainly are many of the same educators I learn with on Twitter, Instagram, Flickr, FB, Google+ , and Youtube there. Foursquare is yet another way I connect AND get discounts at restaurants and stores in my area or in cities I travel to.

Starting on Youtube and Blogger came after I was exposed to other educators learning out loud on Twitter and other networks. I learn much from reading the blogposts of my dear Twitter educator friends and seeing them speak/act/sing/perform in person either on Youtube or Google Plus in hangouts. I started blogging only because I was exposed to others blogposts via Tweets. I gave myself 2 weeks to list things to blog about. I had a long list.

Google+ is a new horizon in my eduworld right now. The GHO's, or Google Hangouts, where you can basically Skype from your email account with any educator friend on Google+, and the Google+ Communities which give you a place to talk in-depth with private or public communities of G+ learners, are tools I'm working to utilize with my colleagues and edufriends far and wide. #EdcampHome was one recent event with lots of visible learning on Google+.

The next #edcamps in my 'visit' queue are #edcampSGF (Springfield, MO) on September 20 and then #edcampKC (Kansas City, MO) on November 9th, which I'm happily planning with +Kyle Pace and +Steve J. Moore . After that, I'm learning out loud at #edcampSTL (Feb 8th) and #edcampOmaha (March 23rd). I'll be filling in a little square on the sign-up chart about the games on the playground.

One of my posts from #edcampKS on August 3rd found on Twitter, Instagram, Foursquare, and Flickr.

2 comments:

Laura, Thanks for sharing your insights about the EdCamp Kansas experience. We certainly had a great time learning and sharing ideas. I look forward to seeing you again at Edcamp MO in couple of months.

#EdcampKC!

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About Me

KC Educator & Instructional Coach Turner HS who believes. I work w/passionate people in KC, KS & MO to get education right for kids. Building community & capacity online at #KCedu #KSedchat #MOedchat and face-to-face #EdcampLDR#edcampKC